The question I have is this: within the international system, do you ever face “salute-offs” against another country’s salute guy? If so, are you undefeated in these salute-offs? I can only believe so!

Infidel always,

The Hybrid Diplomat

O diplomat (as-salamu alaykum) of great nation Hybrid, I salute you and wish peace unto you as well! May all far and wide know powers wielded by great nation yours and tremble at its might!!

I not able find Hybrid on map right now, so will assume it one of great Islamic nations rise amongst ashes of Europe, yes?

As far as how competitive salute guy, let me be first tell you: is VERY competition! When two salute guy stand behind president each, which like what you do in Hybrid I bet, we both make our best to show proud nation face. And longer ceremony take, more prouder we get.

I illustrate you with picture this one.

Here you see–>

Is sultan of Oman, very powerful man that help roll bank of greatest Islamic Republic of Iran, and next to me, salute guy his. He start ceremony by show off fancy walk he say greater than all salute guy in all of world, which make me counter by use super stiffer salute, as taught to me by great professor Fairouz Mehranzadeh. Then he show off colonial English style of salute, which like that of dog. This make me rage, so I top off ceremony with Ultimate Power of Lean Into Salute, which is greatest trick in all of salute guy world.

And yes, this mean I greatest salute guy in all of whole entire earth. That not even up to competition to decide!! This one skill, which I only one in Salute Department of Tehran University to master, my greatest power of all against every other salute guy in whole of earth, which also prove Tehran Iran is most glorious nation over all of entire world!!

I hope that help explain how salute guy job one of most competition of all jobs, and is answer most acceptable to great President of Hybrid!”

Astute followers of Mahmoud Ahma… Ahma… Ahmadinejad know that the Iranian president used to blog at ahmadinejad.ir as far back as March 2008 when the HD first discovered the revolutionary blog. In the interest of free speech, the president even allowed comments on his posts! Truly a man of the people… and internet savvy too! However, it appears that the Iranian president stopped paying his hosting fees.

One source alerted the HD to this memorable response from the president to an American woman regarding her son being “forced” to go to Iraq. You have to commend the president on his secrecy to defend her from the evil American regime!!…..
“In regard to statement you have made, since I did not want my reply lead to any problem for you, did not send it through e-mail, because if some agents are getting into private life of the American citizens and eligitimatley control them, may create problem for you. Instead, I decided to post the reply on the web log that those who may have the same views such as yours, get the answer …”
Written by Mahmoud Ahmadinejad at 14:27

In addition, readers may enjoy the Supreme Leader Sayyid Ali Khamenei’s two websites here and here. In the same way that the regime consolidated, the Supreme Leader should consider consolidating his websites.

The Hybrid Diplomat realizes that this experiment began in earnest with the intent of posting from the Anglo-American-Irish perspective. Also, as promised, this blog has also seen its fair share of cheekiness as well.

In an effort to blog more, the Hybrid in Hybrid Diplomacy will now not only reflect the hybrid nature of the Hybrid Diplomat, but also the necessity for hybridity (of course that’s a word!) in the pursuit of a country’s national interest through the successful conduct of its foreign policy. The hybrid focus, you ask? “We are elevating development and diplomacy as core elements of our foreign policy, alongside defense.” –the U.S. Secretary of State (or just S as the HD knows her).

So there you have it, folks: a focus on the three Ds – defense, diplomacy and development.

The HD will continue to work tirelessly to bring in guest perspectives, analysis from specialists, and new information from confidential sources.

In what internet analysts are already calling a *shocking* blow to the once powerful blogger over at Automatic Ballpoint, comes this story out of Camp Pendleton. Automatic weapons will always remain important. Indeed, the United States will remain the DOMINANT land, air (especially), and sea power for generations to come. If we are going to remain TOP DAWG as the HD often likes to refer to any hegemonic power in history, we are going to need to have a stronger population centric, America as friend approach rather than the shoot ’em up, kick ass domination that has suited us so well in the past.

So check out the posts over at Automatic Ballpoint as well as some David Kilcullen counterinsurgency over at the Road to AcademiaHERE and HERE . As always, the Hybrid Diplomat can neither confirm nor deny any association, whether personal or professional, to these great bloggers.

……….

“Each company, each platoon, and each Marine is the instrument of national power,” said Professor Russell Burgos, an expert in Middle East military security. “Whatever you do in the places you visit will be what the people in those regions know about the U.S.”

“In the past, we may have not paid as much thought to the political and cultural aspects of the countries we might visit and not been as aware of the background of the people we interact with,” said Lt. Col. Todd Oneto, 47, a pilot with Marine Medium Helicopter Squadron 165.

Retired Rear Adm. Stephen Loeffler, who provided an overview of Indonesia, stressed that any humanitarian and civil affairs projects the troops take part in can have profound consequences.

“It can literally change the entire dynamics of a region,” he said. “You are the ambassadors of the Marine Corps, the military and for the entire country.”